Nairobi, 18 October, 2022 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
There is need for Africans “to stand united” in their fighting “against Climate injustice” ahead of the UN climate conference COP27 scheduled to take place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6-18, the Executive Director of Climate Action Network (CAN), has said.
Tasneem Essop who heads CAN, a global network of over 1,800 civil society organizations in more than 130 countries with the role to drive collective and sustainable action to fight the climate crisis and to achieve social and racial justice, was addressing participants during the Monday, October 17 virtual conference, which members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and members of the African Climate Dialogues steering committee organized to launch their communiqué ahead of COP27.
The South Africa-based expert on climate, energy, poverty and social justice issues who lauded the Catholic Church and African civil societies for bringing together different voices ahead of COP 27 said, “African voices need to be heard in Sharm El Sheikh and this communiqué will be Africa’s voice during this meeting.”
Ms. Essop added, “I do want to already acknowledge that the demands and the recommendations emerging out of the communiqué are very aligned to our network, a global network operating in over 130 countries.”
“It does appear as if the unity of voice, the consensus that we have built up between faith-based organizations, civil society and other leaders is really important because it's in that unity that we should be able to push for an outcome at COP 27 that in fact talks to the priorities and needs, especially of those most vulnerable in Africa and around the world,” the Executive Director of CAN said.